This invention relates to an apparatus that combines aspects of an amusement device with those of an exercise device. More specifically, the apparatus of this invention employs the basic mechanisms and physics of a button and string child""s toy with modern technologies to provide an amusement and exercise device that provides entertainment and versatility while providing a means for achieving beneficial exercise.
Many toys and games provide beneficial exercise along with entertainment and amusement. The jump rope, for example, began as a child""s toy or amusement device and is now a widely used exercise device.
The homemade toy comprising a button threaded on a loop of string has for many decades provided entertainment for children while the exercise potentials of the toy have gone unrecognized.
As commonly used, the ends of a loop of string that passes through a button are placed on the thumbs of the user and the button is centered on the loop. The button is twirled to create twists in the string to either side of the button. By pulling outward with the thumbs, the button is caused to rotate on the loop, as the twists are unwound. When the twists are nearly fully unwound and the angular velocity of the button is near its maximum, the tension of the string is relaxed and the momentum of the button causes it to twist the string in the opposite direction from that of its initial twist. When the twisting is nearing its completion and the inertia of the button is near exhaustion, the tension in the string is again asserted by pulling outward with the thumbs and the button is urged to counter rotate and accelerate due to the input of the pulling energy exerted by the thumbs. The cycle of input pulses of energy and the winding and unwinding of the string are repeated, providing amusement and entertainment to the user.
The potentials of this mechanism as a beneficial exercise apparatus are not apparent due to the small size and mass of buttons and the limited numbers of locations of the buttonholes. A second limiting deficiency in these early toys was that when higher levels of energy were developed in the system, the string tended to tighten around the thumb of the user to the degree that it was capable of causing pain and injury and thoughts of introducing more energy into the system were discouraged.
The apparatus of this invention overcomes the deficiencies described above and provides a larger and more versatile dynamic energy converter than has heretofore been known in the art.
In general, opposed tension exercisers are not dynamic and rely on weights and/or springs or other resilient components to provide the opposing tension. The maintaining of the apparatus of this invention in motion requires the application of controlled dynamic tension which produces a different exercise experience than that provided by prior art opposed tension devices.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an amusement and exercise apparatus employing the basic concepts of the above described child""s toy wherein the apparatus is provided with a gripping means and exchangeable and adjustable components so as to permit the user to develop energy levels in the system that will require, for their establishment and maintenance, energy inputs from the user at levels sufficient to provide beneficial physical exercise.
The apparatus of this device employs the mechanisms and physics of the child""s toy along with more advanced technologies to provide an amusement and exercise apparatus that is versatile in use and which provides a means for providing beneficial exercise while developing the advanced skills needed to maintain the dynamics of the apparatus in motion in a variety of modes of use.
In its simplest form the invention is an energy converting apparatus comprising: an inertial component having; a mass greater than one ounce, a diameter greater than two inches, a center of mass, an axis of revolution passing through the center of mass, a first passageway and a second passageway, passing through the inertial component parallel to the axis of revolution and spaced equal distant from the axis of revolution and intersecting a transverse line passing through the axis of revolution, at least one strand component having a first free end and a second free end, and the strand is passed through the first passageway and doubled back on itself and passed through the second passageway and the first free end and the second free end are releaseably joined to form a closed loop, and a first gripping means and a second gripping means secured by securement means to said strand component at opposite sides of said inertial component to form an energy converting apparatus having a closed loop of strand material with an inertial component threaded on the strand, material midway between a first gripping unit and a second gripping unit secured to said strand component.
The invention permits numerous changes in the principle components so as to permit the setting of the energy requirements for its operation through wide range for several of the variables built into the apparatus.